The Two Brothers
by Diamondfrost
Summary: This is an alternate to Sunset. Brambleclaw kills Firestar, and he and Hawkfrost become leaders. But how will the Clans take it? They have something planned, but will it work? Sorry, I suck at summaries. Lol.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer I own none of the characters or the ****Warriors**** series. **

A/N Most of the prologue is taken from the book Sunset and has been changed around a little bit. This is for the prologue only.

**Prologue**

A brown tabby cat padded toward the lake. He saw a thrush on the ground, dragging out a worm. He hadn't eaten that morning, so he dropped into the hunter's crouch. In the same heartbeat something heavy crashed down on him, sending him tumbling over. He let out a yowl of alarm and the thrush took off with a loud stuttering cry. Flipping over to face his attacker, the tabby stared up at his brother, who was gazing down at him with a glimmer of amusement in his ice blue eyes.

"Do you _mind?"_ the tabby spat. "Do you want every cat in ThunderClan to know you're here, Hawkfrost?"

Hawkfrost shrugged. "It doesn't matter, Brambleclaw. I'm allowed here as long as I stay close to the lake."

Brambleclaw scrambled to his paws and smoothed his ruffled fur with a couple of licks. Hawkfrost was right, but he would still have some explaining to do if any of his Clanmates spotted him talking to his half brother. He wished he had Hawkfrost's confidence, but he reminded himself that he was Clan deputy, and the RiverClan warrior's equal in every way.  
"Come into the ferns," he meowed, flicking his tail to beckon Hawkfrost.  
As they talked, Brambleclaw heard a faint cry. "What was that?"

Hawkfrost shrugged. "Some unlucky bit of prey."

The cry came again. "No!" Brambleclaw exclaimed. There's a cat in trouble. Come on!"  
He dove out of the ferns and pelted along the shore in the direction of the cry. It came again, closer but fainter, a horrible choking sound. Brambleclaw leaped across the roots of a tree and found himself face-to-face with Firestar.

The ThunderClan leader lay on his side on a narrow path between two close-growing ferns. His limbs jerked feebly and his eyes gazed at nothing. Foam flecked his muzzle. Around his neck, half buried in his flame-colored fur, was a thin, shiny tendril, leading to a stick driven into the earth. Firestar was caught in a fox trap!

Brambleclaw leaped forward to help him, only to be thrust aside by Hawkfrost's powerful shoulder.

"Mousebrain!" the RiverClan warrior hissed. "This is your chance, Brambleclaw. You're deputy now. If Firestar dies, you'll be Clan leader."

Brambleclaw stared at him in astonishment. _What is he telling me to do?_ Then he realized that Firestar was trying to speak.  
"Birchpaw told me... Blackstar waiting on our territory... Had to come alone..."

Hawkfrost's eyes gleamed with triumph as he padded across to Firestar and bent down to whisper in his ear. "But Blackstar isn't here. We are. You're a fool, Firestar. You were too easy to trap."

"You did this," Brambleclaw said to his half brother. "You arranged for Firestar to be here, where there was a fox trap."

"Of course," Hawkfrost sounded scornful. "I did it for you."  
Firestar's gaze flickered from Hawkfrost to Brambleclaw then back again. The deputy could see that unless he loosened the wire right away, his leader would lose a life, perhaps more.  
Hawkfrost stepped back. "The brave ThunderClan leader," he sneered. "Not so powerful now, are you? Come on, Brambleclaw, finish him off."

Brambleclaw felt as though his paws were frozen to the bare earth. Every hair on his pelt stood on end as he heard his father whispering in his ear: _Kill him. No cat will know. You can be Clan leader. You can have everything you have ever wanted._  
He staggered as Hawkfrost gave him a vicious nudge, his tail lashing angrily. "What are you waiting for? This is what we have wanted all along, remember? Kill him now!"


	2. Chapter 2

**I own none of the characters.**

Brambleclaw stared down at his leader as he took a step back. His brother gazed at him with furious eyes. _I hope he remembers the plan,_ Brambleclaw thought to himself. 

He stared at his brother with slitted eyes. "I can't kill my leader," he growled. 

Hawkfrost's lips curled. "Then I'll have to do it for you," he snarled. He lunged at Firestar, but Brambleclaw threw him to the side. He looked at Firestar to see the leader's eyes full of relief that his deputy had protected him. 

The deputy chuckled. "Good-bye, Firestar!" he said, and then bit the leader's neck. He felt blood come into his mouth, but didn't let go. He wanted to make sure all of Firestar's lives were gone before he let go. After what seemed like forever, Firestar lay on the ground, limp. He had lost all of his lives and Hawkfrost padded over to his brother. 

"You did it," he purred. "I have to admit, I didn't think you would." 

Brambleclaw looked at him. "Of course I would! Why would I back down from ruling half of the Clans? We got farther than our father ever did." The two cats padded over to the lake.

Hawkfrost went to the RiverClan camp to carry out the plan for _his_ Clan, and he only needed himself and one other cat: Russetfur, from ShadowClan.  
Brambleclaw stared into the water, pleased at the reflection. He saw his father staring back at him. The same muscular figure, curved claws, and broad shoulders.

"The deed is done, Father," he meowed. He tore his eyes from it, then padded over to Firestar's body. He unlatched the fox trap and carried his body to the camp. He stopped at one of the bushes since he had scented a fox. He waited for the fox to come closer and then attacked it. It put up a formidable fight, but it lay at his paws a few moments later.

Brambleclaw's fur was ruffled, just as he hoped it would be. He carried his leader's body back to the camp, his eyes wide with sorrow. The Clan cats came out of the dens, alarmed at the scent of blood. He saw Sandstorm and her two daughters, Squirrelflight and Leafpool, pad out of the medicine cat's den. Sandstorm let out a wail as she saw Firestar's dead body. 

"What happened?" she asked Brambleclaw, her eyes brimming with tears. 

"A fox got him," Brambleclaw meowed quietly. "I killed it. Its body is back there." He flicked his tail in the direction of the fox's body outside of the camp. Ashfur and Dustpelt went to see. 

"It's true," Dustpelt meowed as they came back. "The fox's body is back there. But what would a fox be doing on our territory? I mean, first the badgers, now this! What are StarClan doing? Just sitting back and watching us die?" 

Squirrelflight padded over to Dustpelt and licked his ear, trying to comfort her former mentor. 

"The sun is setting," Brambleclaw meowed. "We need to hold the vigil for Firestar. And I need to go to the Moonpool." 

Leafpool nodded. "We will go to the Moonpool now, and mourn when we get back." She and Brambleclaw padded out of the camp, Brambleclaw's eyes filled with triumph.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about such short chapters. --' I don't notice until I upload them and stuff. And I'm not very good at writing long chapters…. I hope I get better….**

Bramblestar led some of his cats to the island. He had brought Squirrelflight, Brackenfur, Thornclaw, and Rainwhisker. They reached the island and crossed over the log. As they entered, Bramblestar saw that the other three Clans were already there. He leapt onto the Great Oak beside his brother. The cats below talked to one another, not noticing that Hawkstar and Bramblestar exchanging a glance. The yowl went out for the start of the Gathering and ever cat quieted.

Blackstar and Onewhisker gave news about new apprentices, and that they had scented foxes and badgers in their territories. When they were done, Hawkstar and Bramblestar were waving their tails with anticipation. They gave news that their leaders were dead, and that the new deputy of ThunderClan is Ashfur, and the RiverClan deputy is Stonestream.

Hawkstar had brought Stonestream, Voletooth, and Blackclaw. As Bramblestar and Hawkstar bunched their muscles to leap at the other leaders, they heard a yowl. Voletooth had leapt on one of the cats in the Gathering. It was Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy.

"Mousebrain!" Hawkstar hissed. "Let her go!" Voletooth looked up at him, then let go.

Ashfoot shook her fur, glaring at him, then sat down. The four leaders jumped down, getting ready to go back to camp, but Hawkstar and Bramblestar turned on Blackstar and Onestar. As Bramblestar leapt on the WindClan leader, Crowfeather slammed into his side. 

"If you're going to attack him, you're going to have to go through me first!" the smokey gray tom hissed. 

"Have it your way then," Bramblestar meowed. He flicked his tail, then leapt onto the warrior and dug his teeth into his throat. Crowfeather put up a good fight, but knew he was losing. The WindClan warrior thrashed about on the ground, the life draining out of him. After a few heartbeats, he lay motionless. Bramblestar smirked in satisfaction, then resumed to attacking Onestar. 

After a while, both the ShadowClan and the WindClan leaders lay on the ground, dead. Bramblestar and Hawkstar raised their heads and yowled with triumph. As Bramblestar lowered his head, he noticed Squirrelflight's lifeless body on the ground by Crowfeather's.


	4. Chapter 4

**This one's a bit longer, so …. I hope you enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Bramblestar's eyes widened, and he felt Hawkstar's tail on his shoulder. He looked at his brother. 

"She attacked one of the ShadowClan cats going after you. You caused her to die," the RiverClan/ShadowClan leader said. "If she couldn't let you fight your own battles, she wouldn't be a good mate. And if she attacked one of your brother's Clan members, she wouldn't be a good mate." 

Bramblestar felt fury rise in his belly, but it wasn't at Hawkstar. It was at Squirrelflight.  
"She should've let me deal with it," he spat. 

"Exactly," Hawkstar meowed in a silky voice, trying to provoke his brother. "You don't need a cat like that in your life." 

Bramblestar growled. "It's time we go to our Clans," he meowed. "We need to get things orderly." 

Hawkstar grinned. "You're right." The two cats rounded up their Clans, and headed out. Bramblestar went to the WindClan and ThunderClan. Luckily, out of the cats he brought, Squirrelflight was the only one that had been killed. The two leaders had left the other cats' bodies on the island; they would get them later. 

"Where's Onestar?" a WindClan cat called out. It was Nightcloud. "And where's Crowfeather?" 

"They're dead," Bramblestar meowed cooly. 

The she-cat's eyes widened. "What did you do?" she snarled. 

Bramblestar did not answer, but he leapt onto the Highmound. "I am now your leader, as well as ThunderClan's," he told the cats below. "Hawkstar is leader of RiverClan and ShadowClan."  
The cats let out yowls of protest. 

"Silence!" Bramblestar hissed. The cats quieted down at once. "We need patrols!!! See to it that every cat has something to do! Ashfoot, you are still deputy for this Clan. Don't let me down." 

Ashfoot nodded her head, her eyes brimming with sorrow at her son's death.  
Bramblestar jumped down. Thornclaw stayed with the WindClan cats to make sure they did as they were told. 

Bramblestar padded to the ThunderClan camp with Rainwhisker and Brackenfur. The leader's eyes shone with satisfaction.

"Where's Squirrelflight?" Sandstorm called out. 

"She's dead," Leafpool called out, shouldering her way past the cats. She glared at Bramblestar. "She's dead because she tried to protect that... that... _foxdung_ we have as a leader!" 

The cats gasped. "What are you talking about?" Bramblestar asked calmly.

Leafpool drew her lips back in the beginnings of a snarl. Tealeaf, Leafpool's apprentice, padded up. 

"What's going on," Tealeaf asked. 

"Bramblestar," Leafpool meowed, "has gotten my sister killed!" 

"I still have no idea what you're talking about," Bramblestar meowed coolly. 

"You killed the other two leaders and Squirrelflight tried to help you!" Leafpool spat. 

Bramblestar grinned. "Oh, _that,_" he meowed. "Yes. Now I know what you are talking about." 

"You're not even going to deny it?" Ferncloud called out. 

Bramblestar looked at Ferncloud, still grinning. "Why would I deny the truth?" 

A majority of the cats let out a snarl, then walked away, but a few stayed.

Bramblestar and Leafpool padded through the forest. "Leafpool," the leader meowed, "I only killed the other two leaders to join RiverClan with ShadowClan and ThunderClan with WindClan. We'll be stronger than we were before. I never meant for your sister to get killed... nor Crowfeather." 

Leafpool's eyes were filled with sorrow, and she felt slightly forgiving, but didn't forgive him totally. She let out a sigh, but didn't say anything. 

"And Leafpool... I don't know what's going on. I never meant for any of this to happen. I just feel like... I feel like... I haven't been me lately." Brambleclaw looked at her, wondering if he was believing it. It was true, but he knew what he was doing. 

Leafpool led him over to a stream where some herbs were growing. 

Thornclaw came over to them. "WindClan has gotten used to the joined Clans," he told Bramblestar. 

"That's good," the leader said.  
He watched as Leafpool bent down to get the herbs, and her paws slipped. She fell into the stream and got swept away by the current. 

"Leafpool!" Thornclaw yowled and the two toms raced after her. Their paws thundered on the ground in hot persuit(SP?). 

After what felt like forever, Leafpool was swept under a Twoleg bridge and then she was gone. Thornclaw and Bramblestar still tried to find her, but luck was against them. They stopped, panting. Bramblestar looked at Thornclaw. 

"What just happened?" Thornclaw asked him, astonished. 

"I-I-I don't know..." Bramblestar meowed. They padded back to the camp. Thornclaw's head was bowed, and Bramblestar's was tilted, facing near the ground, but he was still looking up(You know what I mean? Like, it's between up and bowed).


	5. Chapter 5

[Later that evening

Bramblestar looked around the camp, then snuck out. After what happened earlier, he didn't want any cat to see him, or else they'd think he was out to kill again. He made his way to the stream that seperated ThunderClan and WindClan.  
He smiled as he saw the other cat. She was black as night. 

"Bramblestar," Nightcloud purred. "You came." 

"Of course, Nightcloud," the leader meowed. "I couldn't stay away." 

Nightcloud nuzzled him. "It must have been hard to kill a cat that you spent all that time with traveling to the Sun-drown-place and back. But you did it for me, right? You kept your promise." 

"Yes, I did," Bramblestar meowed, smiling. "It was somewhat hard, but I got over it." 

"It's good that you did. Now we can be together," Nightcloud purred. Bramblestar laid down on the ground, closing his eyes. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, and now he could barely keep his eyes open. There was no way he'd be able to make his way back to the camp to sleep. 

"My camp isn't too far away from here. Let's go there. Remember, you're leader of my Clan too," Nightcloud meowed.  
Bramblestar nodded. He rose to his feet and they went to the WindClan camp. When they reached it, Bramblestar headed for the leader's den. He went inside, not knowing that Nightcloud followed him. He laid down on the ground and felt her body press against his.

**Sorry for such a short chapter. I just didn't know what else to put. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Yeah, these chapters are so short, but… please bear with me. I'm new at writing.**

(A few moons later)

Bramblestar was in the ThunderClan camp on the Highrock. "From this moment on, Berrypaw will be known as Berrytail." He laid his muzzle on Berrytail's, Mousepelt's, and Hazelflower(She cat, right? Hazelpaw/kit?)'s heads. They licked his shoulder. The cats called their names and congratulated them. 

A WindClan cat came into the camp. "Bramblestar," he meowed, dipping his head respectfully,

"I have brought some news." 

"What is it?" the leader asked. 

"Nightcloud has had your kits," he meowed, his head still bowed. 

"Ashfur, watch the camp," Bramblestar meowed immediately. Ashfur dipped his head. The two toms padded to the WindClan camp. The leader went into the nursery.  
"Nightcloud," he purred. The she cat looked up at him. "The kits are beautiful," he meowed.

Something passed through her eyes that he couldn't read. She nodded, then laid her head back down. She slowly fell asleep. Bramblestar padded out of the camp and went to his camp.

Ashfoot's POV 

Ashfoot watched Bramblestar leave through slitted eyes. She padded over to Weaselfur. "Is the plan ready?" she asked. 

"When Nightcloud's kits are apprentices," he answered. 

"Good. Good," Ashfoot meowed. "Eaglepaw and Crowpaw..." she meowed quietly to herself. She padded up to the Highrock and leaped up. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" she yowled. The cats slowly filed out of their dens.

"WindClan," she meowed, looking down at them, "the attack will happen once Nightcloud's kits are apprentices. ShadowClan, RiverClan, and ThunderClan have already agreed. Hawkstar and Bramblestar must go down."


	7. Chapter 7

**Yeah, I skip a lot, but I'm really looking forward to the ending. Lol. So… that's why. **

[Five moons later

_Ashfoot's POV_

Ashfoot watched the cats go back into their dens. She went into the nursery. The kits only had one more moon until they were apprentices. "Not much longer until they're ready," she purred. 

"I just want to get revenge for Crowfeather's death," the other she cat meowed, her eyes full of pain. "I loved him." 

"I know. He was my son, and you're not the only cat that misses him." Ashfoot looked down at her. "I better go now." The deputy padded out of the nursery and into the leader's den, where she was staying now.

_Bramblestar's POV_

Bramblestar padded out of his den. He stretched and bounded to the top of the Highrock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" he yowled, his eyes blazing. The cats came out of their dens and over to the Highrock. They looked up at him, wondering what it was about. 

"I heard that the Clans are planning to overthrow Hawkstar and I. Is this true?" he demanded.  
"Why would we do that?" Thornclaw asked. 

"I want to hear from a certain cat. One that can't lie(or so he thought). Brook... is the plan real?" 

"No," the she cat meowed, her head high as she looked at him. "Are you sure that you heard it in a dream and you had just had a tough bit of fresh kill?" 

Bramblestar narrowed his eyes. He was quiet for a while, then meowed, "Very well then." He flicked his tail, dismissing them, then jumped down. He padded out of the camp, going to the RiverClan camp.

_Brook's POV_

Brook watched Bramblestar leave. She remembered when he and the other prophecy cats had traveled to the Sun-Drown place, and had stayed at her Tribe's camp for a while. What had happened to _that_ Brambleclaw? She sighed and padded over to Stormfur. "How did he know?" she asked. "It was almost ruined!" 

"I don't know. But it's not good. Hearing about it, but you saying that it probably was a dream, that's not going to make him disbelieve it. We should be more careful from now on. All of us."

He bounded to the top of the Highrock and the cats went over. "We need to be more careful about the plan now. Bramblestar's already heard about the plan, and he's not going to disbelieve it just because Brook denied it." 

The cats below murmured their agreements. 

Brook noticed how good he looked on the Highrock, almost like he was supposed to be leader. She knew he could take charge of almost every situation. A laugh from behind them all interrupted her thoughts. 

"What's this I hear about a plan?"

She whipped around, expecting to see Bramblestar, or Hawkstar, or _**someone. **_But what she saw shocked her.


End file.
